Maputo, 19 Sep (AIM) – The Mozambican government on 18 September approved a National Water Resource Management Plan for the next 20 years that will cost an estimated US$28 billion.

Announcing the plan at the end of the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers (Cabinet), the government spokesperson, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Ana Comoana, said the plan envisages the sustainable use of the river basins which Mozambique shares with other member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Comoana said the plan will be financed through the Mozambican state budget and aid from the country’s foreign cooperation partners, and its main purpose is to assess the availability of water resources.

“The objective of the plan is to assess current and future demand for water”, she continued, adding that it would prioritise the construction of water storage infrastructures. Comoana did not say where these might be, but the government has previously stated that among its top priorities are new dams at Mpanda Nkua, on the Zambezi River, about 60 kilometres downstream from the existing Cahora Bassa dam, and at Mapai, in the Limpopo basin in the southern province of Gaza.

The plan would promote integrated management of water resources, taking into account the specific nature of each river basin. There would be a portfolio of short, medium and long-term projects for the sustainable and efficient exploitation of water resources.

Comoana said the government also intends to invest over $300,000 over the next seven years in implementing the Fourth National Plan for the Advancement of Women, which is intended to promote gender equality.

This plan, Comoana said, will look in detail at how women are excluded from key development sectors. The government hopes that the plan will coordinate inter-sector activities to ensure the empowerment of women.

“The plan seeks to promote gender equality in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres”, said Comoana, and was in line with the Sustainable Development Goals for 2015 to 2030 approved by the United Nations.(AIM)

21 September, 2018

Poachers and illegal loggers jailed

The Chigubo district court, in the southern Mozambican province of Gaza, has, over the past three months, sentenced 14 people to jail terms of between 15 days and 12 years for poaching and illegal logging in the Banhine National Park.

19 September, 2018

Government approves water management plan

The Mozambican government on 18 September approved a National Water Resource Management Plan for the next 20 years that will cost an estimated US$28 billion.

18 September, 2018

President Nyusi wants greater visibility for Mozambique Island

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on 17 September urged the residents of Mozambique Island, off the coast of the northern province of Nampula, to join the government initiatives intended to grant greater visibility to the island as a cultural treasure.